The Sixth Star
by CarlvonSchwann
Summary: She's a fan of music. She can create music. She has pasts of music, but she can't remember. Broken and in debt, Marina Swanlay wants to become one with the goddesses that took her to the ends of the universe, the money being second. This is the story of how a fan became what she used to cheer for, and how she overcame the dangers and secrets that came with being a part of Walkure.
1. Chapter 1

"Ahhh… it sure is boring, working without music to listen to."

Marina sighed as she sloppily moved boxes from one place to another. Her eyes were droopy and downcast. She was like a slob with the way she walked too. So much that she would constantly bump shoulders with another worker.

"I want to listen to musiiiiiic! Can't someone get me earphones or something?!" Marina suddenly shouted out loud, enough for the entirety of the factory to hear voice.

"Hey, you there! Keep working!" the manager, who was at the observatory, yelled back through his microphone.

"Sorry…" Marina whispered in utter defeat and continued working with her back bent once again,

Marina? She was not one bit special. She had dirty, messy blonde hair tied back in a ponytail right then, paired with sky blue eyes. She was not as pretty as one would expect her to, but she was decent to say the least.

Why such a girl like her would be working at a factory is what one would ask. She volunteered to provide for her own studies, and her parents hesitantly agreed, then recommended her to the factory they used to work to. She got in, but as a worker only. But she got in nevertheless, so she was thankful.

Okay, she goes to school, she works part-time at a factory. She's blonde, she average, and she's a music nut. What now?

That was honestly just about it. That was her life in general. Until a zombie outbreak happened that day.

"Tch, I'll get back on this stinky guy when I become chief…" she muttered as she put the box she was carrying down to wipe her sweat and pick up a bottle of apple juice she was supposed to save up for until break.

Before a drop got to her lips, she heard a song.

It was not exactly a song, but a melody. It echoed across the building. It was a girl was singing through all the megaphones. It was loud, but vibrant. It was smooth to the ears, as if it was able to put anybody in a daze—

Marina was cut off her thoughts when everybody screamed out and grew veins from their sculpted bodies. They then aimlessly ran around like some zombies, biting each other and using weapons to fight. One of them even tried to shoot at the manager, who barely managed to dodge.

It could have been a prank or something. The workers probably thought of getting back at the manager without Marina knowing. It looked so real, however, to be just a simple prank.

 _This is an actual outbreak!_

Marina forgot about the box she was supposed to transfer, and ran away to avoid contact with anybody in the factory. Marina wanted nothing of this violence, ever. All she ever wanted was melody, and not noise. With the gunshots rupturing her ears, all she could remember was "that" time.

 _What was that time?_

 _You know, that time!_

 _That time where you were with—!_

Marina cupped her ears, closed her eyes, and slowed down on her run until her legs gave out on her. She did not want to hear anything. She did not want to hear noise, only melody. She did not want to hear the voice inside her head. The more she listened, the more vivid "that" time became, and she did not want that.

She was about to scream from all the pressure being thrown at her when all she wanted was to live a normal life. As her ears have been ruptured, she was about to let her own voice get ruptured when…

"Listen! To the voices of the goddesses! To the voices that will take you the ends of the universe!"

From that call, there was silence. The feminine melody that came with the violence seemed to have stopped. Since when? Marina didn't know. Her ears were screaming the entire time. But following the call, everyone kept silent for a good few seconds, before getting back to the villainy they were in the process of doing.

But Marina stopped cupping her ears and opened her eyes before looking around, looking for that voice that made the call.

Where? Where was it from?

She looked up and saw five girls floating from their own platforms. A purple-haired one standing the in middle, followed by other girls. One had orange hair with some pink light coming from her hair… Never mind that. The other had green, the other had red, the other pink. They seemed to have worn their color, except the orange haired one, who wore red and the redhead wearing yellow.

Their appearances were extraordinary, one would say. But how were five girls standing on platforms planning to stop a violent outbreak without the risk of getting shot or hurt or anything at all?

Without a moment to waste, the purple-haired girl begun singing.

 _Welcome to Walkure world…  
Welcome!_

As if actually being invited to listen, Marina stood up while still looking up at them. The light they gave off was blinding, but Marina did not take her eyes off of the group. At that moment, Marina's eyes were glued to the five girls.

 _My heart beat aloud_

Marina's heart was raging inside her chest, as if wanting to burst out, but at that point she did not know why. It was either from the chaos or the vibrant aura the group gave off.

 _Welcome to Walkure world!_

From that one line alone, Marina was blown away as if a nuclear bomb has been set from the girls' exact spot. _That blending is so epic! The weight of the song, the vibrancy of the voices, the heaven-like feel of everything…_ Marina thought to herself as she kept her eyes glued on to group, waiting for something to happen after that.

 _Just who are these girls?_

Soon enough, some pop beat started playing and the group started singing once more.

 _Nobosete screaming mou tomaranai yo  
S.O.S. agaru siren  
Koi! Halation THE WAR_

Spread about the place were holograms of the members as well as effects to give accent to their performance. Four jets also appeared, as if on cue with their singing. They released smoke from their wake, colored to represent each member—well, almost. They appeared as if dancing as well to support the performance being made by the girls.

There was too much happening at that very moment Marina did not know where to look anymore; at the jets, the girls, or the chaos happening around her. She sat in place stunned just as a giant robot was about to step on her when one of the jets swooped in to intercept the robot and take it down opposite of where Marina was.

"Miss, get out of there! Walkure will take care of the people affected by the Var," a girl who seemed to come from the jet told her through some radio. "Or else you'll get stepped on again and I'll be too far to assist you!" She then flew to intercept more robots with bullets, transforming to a giant robot midway to wrestle one down.

"Sorry, ma'am. She can be quite the hothead," a guy this time said, and a blue jet came down on her position as well. "Please get on. I'll get you to a safe place." The cockpit then opened and revealed a guy with blue hair and a clip. He also had pairing blue eyes as well.

Marina was too stunned to say anything, so she just nodded slightly and stumbled into the jet as the cockpit immediately closed and they flew off far into the forest. Once outside, Marina got out of the plane, and the guy silently saluted before closing the cockpit and riding off to join the others in battle.

The blonde stared at the factory which was in flames and debris, with singing girls floating about and singing while the robots fought. It certainly was not a day she was expecting would come.

Marina checked herself to see if she got scratched anywhere. Apparently she declared herself safe, just with a few burns and scratches across her clothing. She checked her pockets if she lost anything—

 _My phone!_

Marina's eyes widened as she looked back to the factory where she knew she left her phone behind. It was a gift her parents gave her to celebrate her acceptance into the job, and it was the only phone they said they would buy her, so it was very important to Marina herself. Her feet were ready to sprint back, but she remembered the warning the other girl gave to her.

 _No! That phone has everything I need! I need to – no, I_ have _to— go back!_

Without thinking, she ran as fast as she could, back to the factory to retrieve her phone. Good thing the guy did not drop her too far from the place, so it was only a matter of time before she got back.

Marina ran to the locker rooms, which unfortunately for her was already being ravaged by the zombies of her fellow co-workers. Her sharp breaths and her own heartbeat were the only two things she could feel and hear. Without a moment of hesitation she looked for her own locker where she hid her personal belongings and there it was, unharmed and untouched. She unlocked it with a key she had with her and opened it to at least get the most important item she ran all the way back for. She looked at it to make sure it was still fine, and was almost relieved to know that it was, when…

"Look out!" a girl's voice shouted from afar. Marina looked behind her to see a worker armed with a knife ready to stab. With her stamina drained from her, Marina could barely react to last-second situations, and was certain she would get hit.

Marina was pushed to her right and heard a yelp. She looked up from where she lied and saw the red-haired girl got slashed on her left arm. As of then the girl's arm was already streaming with blood and sweat. But she never stopped singing to the guy, singing lyrics of love until the guy lost consciousness.

Marina gasped at the sight before her. Beating violence with music. She never could have thought of that. She would have just beat up the guy and left him wounded to avoid her own self from bleeding, but no. The redhead endured the pain and still sang her heart out.

The ground was still shaking from explosions, and the girl who saved Marina was shaking her to check if she was alright, but she would not respond. Everything that happened that day was certainly too much for her mind and body to handle.

Out of tiredness, Marina's eyes blurred, which soon gave out and she fell unconscious.

* * *

"… think the Windermereans did it?" a girl's soft, lazy-sounding voice asked.

"We already contacted them about it. They said the king did not do anything of the sort except feed the eagles he was supposed to enter the festival with," another girl, who seemed to be serious but mother-like, replied.

"So this means we are facing another enemy using the same biological weapon as the Windermereans do?" another cute voice jotted in.

"We don't know just yet, but we have to keep watch of where the Var comes from, this day onwards," the same commanding voice answered.

"More work for us, huh?" a fourth voice seemed to complain, groaning.

"Freyja, you shouldn't be lazing out. Hayate is doing his best in battle, so you should too," the command reprimanded.

"Oooh, that date the other day was sooo kyawawa!" the cute voice dreamily commented.

"Eh?! You were watching, Makina-san?!" "Freyja" shouted, seemingly shocked.

"You bet we were. I was there too," the lazy voice added.

"Reina-san, you too?!" Freyja whined, giving up.

"Huh? Where's Mikumo?" the command asked.

And that's when Marina decided to announce her wake. She yawned and stretched her arms before starting to get up from where she was lying.

"Ugh, it's so loud early in the morning…" she complained as she rubbed the sleep off her eyes before opening them. Marina looked around her and saw four girls with her in what looked like a hospital ward. The four girls looked like the ones she saw earlier in the day…

"Ah! We didn't mean to be so loud…!" the orange-haired girl apologized and bowed her head.

"So you're awake now," the redhead said and smiled at her. "I'll go get a doctor to check up on you." She left the room shortly, leaving Marina with three other people. Before she disappeared to the door, however, she clicked her tongue and rubbed her left arm.

"Are you okay? Does anything hurt? Are you hungry, perhaps?" the pink-haired girl asked before pointing to a plate of peeled apples set on a table beside the bed Marina was lying on. The green-haired girl stayed silent.

"A-Ah, it's alright! The conversation seemed important enough… And thank you very much! I am in debt…" Marina took the time to reply to everything she could. "By the way, that red haired girl's arm…"

"Kaname-san? Ah, yeah. She saved you from the zombie and took the blow herself," the orange-haired girl informed. "But the cut wasn't too deep, and the medics are fast, so you can barely see anything weird from Kaname-san now." She smiled reassuringly, but Marina could not get that terrifying scene out of her head.

"This is all because you were irresponsible and stubborn…" the maroon-haired girl, who had the deep and commanding voice, chided and crossed her arms. "Hayate went all these ways to keep you away from danger and you still came back for something as insignificant as—!"

"I-It's not insignificant!" Marina defended. "What I had back there was the only treasure I got from my parents. There's no way I can abandon that in exchange of my life."

"She's right, Mirage-san!" Freyja followed up, facing this Mirage girl with a serious expression. "Sometimes you have to risk your life for treasures too, you know?"

"…" Mirage sighed and just leaned on the wall behind her.

There was awkward silence, and soon after, the redhead they called Kaname came back to the ward along with a few nurses who immediately checked on Marina's health.

"We'll be waiting outside if you need us, okay?" Kaname informed as she ushered the other girls out of the room. The others waved before leaving, while Mirage just walked straight out without even taking a look.

"Miss… Marina Swanlay… was it?" one of the nurses, who was checking on her pulse, asked.

"Ah, yes… what is it?" Marina entertained, looking at the nurse. The nurse turned all so suddenly it seemed too creepy.

"Why did you try to kill Kaname-san?"

"Eh…? I-I-I would never do such a thing! She saved me and took the blow, right? They told me—!"

"That was a lie, though. What really happened was that you turned Var and went insane to resist their songs for a little while longer, and you got hold of Kaname-san, almost stabbing her in the chest," the nurse said, her eyes turning black as she said so.

"She was lucky to have barely dodged it, but you know that blow could have killed her," another nurse stepped in, looking at Marina the same way.

"You were just a factory worker standing before a goddess trying to save you from a disease through song. Why would you do that?" another one followed after. Soon enough, all the nurses who were operating on Marina stopped doing what they were doing and just looked at her with those creepy black eyes.

"You've hurt somebody again. Just like you've hurt them way back in the past," all the nurses said in unison. "You could have killed again, just like what you always did. You murderer."

"You murderer," they repeated as they deformed in Marina's vision every second they said it. Hands then reached out at Marina's neck as if trying to strangle her with it.

 _No, no! I'm not a murderer!_

 _It's all a lie!_

 _Don't do this to me!_

Marina tried to speak up for herself, but her voice would not come out. The hands snaked around her, tightening at each turn. Before she lost her breath, she could hear the nurses repeating what they said.

"yOu mUrdEreR…"

"… oU MUrDereR…"

"… mUrdeRer…"

* * *

Marina woke up with a start and sat up straight. She gasped for air as if she lost it for a second, a hand around her neck as she tried to pry free of the nurses' grasps. Her heart was beating hard and fast. _Was that a dream…?_

"W-Where am I?" she looked around and found herself surrounded by posters of random bands, even those whose language she didn't understand. She saw pictures of herself holding instruments, as well as music notes she remembered as music of her own. She was back in her bedroom, in her own home.

Marina relaxed a little and looked at her hands. It was unnoticeable at first glance, but she had vein-like scars rooted around her hand. She rolled up the sleeve of her top and revealed a lot more making their way up her arm. It was only then that she remembered how the riot at the factory went out.

She remembered finishing the apple juice she drank during work, and the melody played through the speakers. She lost all reasoning and sanity then, but her consciousness was intact, as if she became a puppet being controlled by make-believe strings. She ran around beating up people until she heard Walkure sing. The rest had stopped fighting except Marina, who kept on destroying stuff until she was approached by the redhead Kaname.

Marina remembered grabbing a glass shard within her proximity and attempting to stab Kaname out of the blue. Marina missed and only grazed Kaname's arm, which should have still hurt, but the latter kept on singing songs of love to Marina until she lost consciousness finally.

"I… did all that… even when I was being saved…" Marina whispered, grasping her hands together and holding them to her chest. She looked at empty space until something caught her eye. It was an envelope. She reached out to it and looked at it from the outside, to find out there was nothing printed. She took the contents from the envelope and read the paper attached.

It was a letter informing her that she was fired from the factory for causing damage to the equipment, and was in debt for all the damage she had caused. It totaled ten million gold. It was more than fifty years, no, a hundred years of working as a factory worker. They said they didn't care when she could pay it all off, so long she could pay it.

Marina imagined what her parents would say if they saw her in this state. Would they be disappointed? Angry? Upset? Would they abandon her? Would they shoulder her debt?

Imagining that happening to her family was something she could not bear to witness. She huddled herself, hugging her knees. Tears of frustration flowed down her cheeks. She broke down and finally cried.

"Mama… Papa… What am I supposed to do?"

It was okay, because she was alone in her room. It was okay to let out her feelings if nobody were there to hear her.

"Kyu, kyu~" what seemed like an anime noise was made from beside her. She turned to find a cat-like creature… or so she thought it was. What was it called? Marina didn't know.

Marina looked at the creature as it moved to invade her huddle. It struggled on its way, but it looked cute doing so, which made Marina smile a little.

"Good thing you're the one that heard me…" she told the creature, patting its head. The creature then got off and hopped beside her. Her eyes followed the creature and ventured towards a device.

 _My phone!_

Marina silently exclaimed as she snatched the device from where it was placed and unlocked it. No damage was done, and all the data she hid in it were still there as if it was untouched. Even the photo of her and her parents before she took the job as a factory worker.

"I'm glad…" she muttered as she wiped her tears held her phone close to her. It was an important piece in her life and she was contented to see it returned to her safe and sound.

The creature who Marina was with made another noise, and seemed to point to a pamphlet which was placed on the same place her phone rested on. Wondering what the pamphlet was about, she picked it up.

"What's this…?" her eyes struggled to read in the moonlight, so she sat up on the edge of her bed and turned on the lamp on a study table beside her bed. She then opened the pamphlet.

"Sign up to become the sixth member of Walkure! Become one with the voices of the goddesses that once took you to the ends of the universe!" Below the pamphlet were the details of the upcoming audition. Comparing the information she had and the pamphlet, the audition would occur one week from that night.

"Prize money granted to the winner is five million gold, as well as an opportunity to become the sixth member of the idol group Walkure! And for every successful live performances done as a group, earn as much as one million!" the pamphlet said on the rewards section. Marina's eyes widened at the rewards.

"This… this will pay off my debt in no time at all!" she almost exclaimed, obviously excited at the news of earning money. "I… I have to get in this audition! I have to win this!" Her eyes twinkled.

She might have been a criminal in real life, but the scene she saw of Walkure was no different from her dream. The five goddesses who healed her even though she hurt them. The five girls who would go anywhere to save people. The five stars giving out bright light, whose voices would take someone "to the ends of the universe". Even then, she heard the intense blending of voices into one.

Marina wanted to be like them. She wanted to be one with them.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Marina found her parents happily greeting her from outside her room. She ran out to hug them, and they welcomed her back with loving arms. With tears in her eyes, Marina apologized.

"I'm sorry, Mama! Papa!" she said. "I'm sorry…!"

"It's alright, dear," her mother reassured. "What matters most is that you are safe. Come on, breakfast is ready."

"We'll also talk to the manager about the debt," her father followed. "He'll understand that you were under the influence of Var."

"Mama…! Papa!" Marina sobbed and tightened her embrace on her parents. "Thank you!"

They then went down to have breakfast. Marina felt like a heavy weight on her chest has lifted.

* * *

The past week since she had picked up the pamphlet, Marina had been training. She ran around the park near her house and had voice lessons every after jog. She watched some videos of voice lessons and simply followed them. She had no judge for how she did in those lessons, but she was confident she was doing well. She has also done research on Walkure as well as listened to their songs to give each track a shot.

Marina also danced. As a kid, she loved dancing to her favorite songs, and she polished them growing up. Since she got some activity as a factory worker, her dance skills albeit self-proclaimed have not rusted just yet. She danced at the grass area in the park, timing her steps mentally to the music. Some way or another, she managed to attract a crowd every time. With the ten million debt in mind, she was ready to work out a sweat every single day.

She only thought of winning that audition, and nothing else. She thought of the rewards as she walked to and from the park. Losing was not an option. She had to win this. Her parents were there to cheer her on, and it was in her best interest to not fail in their name either. She attached the letter to an activity board in her room to always remind herself of the debt she had to pay off, the damage she alone had caused.

The issue about the factory still haunted her every night, and the thought of her hurting someone without her control was scary. However, she would remember that she had a chance to redeem herself and live once more, as a wiser person.

Marina looked up at the stars. This audition was her one shot at achieving something in her life, her one way ticket out of this boring, however messy life she made for herself. She no longer wanted to stay human. She threw it all away when she decided to take the auditions.

At that time, she wanted to reach for the stars, the idols she looked up to back in that riot. She wanted to become a star, the idol she wanted to become. She wanted to become a goddess.

* * *

The day of the auditions came, and Marina came to the venue in her peak condition. She slept plentifully, warmed up the morning she woke up, and went to the venue early. Marina did not want to show a tardy idol before an audience. Like she usually would, Marina put on her favorite blue hoodie along with its paired jogging pants.

In front of her were three pretty girls who looked the part, chatting amongst themselves like a group of friends that have been together for a long time. They were few, but they seemed happy nonetheless. Marina smiled sadly, as she never really had close enough friends to invite for auditions like these. Maybe this was the right time to make some.

Just when Marina thought to approach the group, however, they found Marina first, and started shifting themselves away.

"Hey, she looks like the one in the news the other day, no?" one girl whispered.

"Yeah, she does look like it," another girl replied in the same fashion. To this, the third girl brought out her phone to compare.

"The similarities are too uncanny. She IS the girl in the news…!" the third girl concluded. "Why is she here…?"

"Don't tell me she's here to take the auditions…" the first girl suspected, her face folding to a grimace, then sneered. "She's taking it to pay off the debt she made herself, I'm betting."

"Oh, poor girl! She must be really desperate to pay if off by becoming an idol," the second one, following the first girl's suit and made the same face, circulated the conversation.

"She doesn't look the part anyways," the third girl added. "She'd probably get dropped first thing in the auditions."

That was when the word got to the other girls.

"They said those with past criminal records do get kicked out immediately."

"What is she doing here then? Did she even read the guidelines?"

"She should drop out here and now."

At first, Marina did not dare listen. She closed her eyes and calmed herself down. She could not let mere words get to her after all this time she spent training and putting herself back together.

"Yeah, she should know her place."

"She's just in for the money. Poor girl has to pay off some debt."

Oh, how desperate she must be…"

"That's not how an idol should think, really."

Marina was fidgeting in her place. The pressure from the auditions plus the words these other girls were saying made her shiver. The breeze of the morning wind became colder.

"After hurting one of them? Shameless of you to still show your face."

"If you're in it for the money then you should just work regularly for it."

"Drop out already and save us the trouble of one more rival."

"It's not like you're worth their attention anyway."

"It's not like you'll redeem yourself just by being an idol."

At this point, the words were already getting to Marina, and she cupped her ears to block the noise, but they just kept slipping through her fingers.

"Drop out already!"

"Drop out…"

"Drop out…"

"Drop out…"

Marina's knees buckled and she collapsed there, her breath rough and her eyesight starting to get blurry.

 _After all this time?!_

"Honestly, you should just quit-!"

Suddenly, a loud beep echoed outside the venue and the double doors spread open, revealing the lobby of the center of operations in the planet. All the girls stood straight besides Marina, who was curled into a fetal position. Her veins were showing on the back of her hand, ready to explode at any second. Her eyes were almost blank.

Marina looked up to meet eyes with a woman in an office uniform. She looked oddly familiar to Marina, but she could not make out the name. Whether she forgot or not was beyond her, but it was easy to identify her red shoulder-length hair, purple eyes and mature features of a woman.

"Good morning, everyone! I take it you're all here for the audition, yes? Come on in and wait for the captain to arrive. In the meanwhile, I invite you all to a hot beverage while waiting. Follow me." And everybody followed suit, lining up perfectly as they took in the footsteps of the woman that greeted them. All except Marina, who has barely just recovered from what seemed like the verge of a mental breakdown. She rubbed her eyes and blinked back her vision only to find out she was the only one left outside. She then felt a pat on her back, raising an alarm. She bolted up and then away from the person in question.

Judging by the figure, it was a girl, probably her age or younger, who was unidentifiable because she was hooded. Beyond the shadows of the hood, however, showed a bright smile in contrast to Marina's frown.

"Are you alright?" the girl went ahead and asked, her face turning to concern as she approached Marina slowly. "I'm sorry, I might've surprised you there. You're being left behind, you know?"

Marina's eyes widened, but then turned back to her dead eyes just as fast. "But I… The other girls were right. I'm just here to pay off my debt. I don't think I deserve to even face the group after what I've done. Surely they wouldn't welcome a criminal too. I..."

The hooded girl stared at her. "Are you really going to end it short? You haven't even tried."

"B-But I…"

"You don't seem to be a criminal if you were being controlled against your will."

"Eh...?"

"Whether or not you're actually born a criminal doesn't matter. I saw the news. It's the Var, right?" the girl explained. "I hear it turned people to mindless zombies, wrecking things here and there. Sure, you may have broken things for the most part, but you yourself would not have wanted to do it yourself, no?"

"I-I don't… I just… wanna work…"

"Then it wasn't your fault. The others may have put the blame on you, but you yourself know you're not the same girl as the one yesterday, no?"

Marina took a closer look at the girl. Due to the sun just about rising, the lights overtook and covered the girl's face in the shadows. Marina stood up to face the girl properly, and nodded without having to say a single word. She turned to the gates and slapped both her cheeks before trudging in. The hooded girl looked at Marina as she disappeared into the edifice.

After Marina was out of sight, a man with blue hair came in from behind the hooded girl. "Was this really okay? If anyone found out, the others will think we're biased and shady, ya know?" he said.

The hooded girl giggled and took of her hood, which revealed a curly orange-haired girl with a heart-shaped sort of horn on her head. The inner part of her hair was a lighter share of orange. She wore apple green eyes and a fair nose bridge.

"What can I say? I used to be somewhat like her, so I should be making her feel the same way I did, right?" she said and turned around to meet the guy before kissing him on the cheek as a greeting. "Besides, we have shady members with us too, no? Not only that, we'll need someone strong enough to take in a disaster like that. She's the only one I can see who has experienced and lived through it." She smiled sadly, and looked at her hand, which has been growing scale-like skin the past few days, and has now started taking over her wrist. "I'll need a direct replacement soon too. Someone who can live longer than I can."

* * *

As Marina entered the assigned room for the auditions, someone who was waiting by the door gave her an intercom, signaling Marina to wear them. The latter doubted the person at first, but wore the intercom anyway, and it fit snugly over her ear.

Marina was sat at the very back of the room. She was still anxious about the trash talk from earlier, so she wanted to lay low. Her knees were still shaky, her breath was ragged, and she felt colder than everyone else. The air conditioning only made it worse.

The other girls were chatting about how their practices went, all the while stealing crooked glances at Marina. The thought of a supposed criminal auditioning to sing alongside the girls she attempted to kill was unthinkable. They would click their tongues but ignore her right after and continue with their chitchat. Marina did not bother to look at them.

The automatic door on the left hand side of the room slid open, and came in a green gigantic humanoid male wearing what seemed like a captain's outfit. His height was enough so that he had to duck to get through the door. At first glance, he would seem like a typical green monster you would see on a Halloween night, but Marina knew right away he was the captain of the Macross Elysion, the very fortress that possesses Walkure in their ranks. He was Ernest Johnson, half-Zentradi half-human. Marina's eyes shone after finally seeing him personally.

The other girls, however, did not. They yelled and screamed, in either surprise or fear. The very presence of the captain made the girls in the front row push their own chairs back.

"A monster!"

"We're gonna die!"

"Get away from me!"

"Eeeep!"

Ernest sighed in exasperation. "When is anybody gonna get used to me? Was facilitating this year's auditions a bad idea too?" He then looked at the girls in disappointment, scaring anyone in his line of sight. When he found Marina looking at him intensely, Ernest turned his frown to a grin, then muttered to himself. "Looks like I have a favorite."

He then cleared his throat. "Everybody, I would like to thank all of you for coming to our auditions," he started formally, looking around once again. "You are all three hundred and twenty-eight in total, according to my records. I am the captain of the Macross Elysion, Ernest Johnson. We look forward to observing the best of your abilities. I don't want to waste time with the formalities, so let me get to the point.

"This year's auditions will be different than the one we arranged that resulted in our fifth member's recruitment. To ensure that we will not fail in upcoming emergencies, we will have you risk even your own life." Ernest then took another good look at his candidates before continuing. "We might even have you die right here and now. If you don't want that, you may leave the room."

The girls shook in outright fear. One of them stood up abruptly.

"Wait! This isn't right! Nobody told us we'd be putting our lives on the line just to earn a spot!" she spoke.

"Good food for thought there, young one," Ernest admitted. "But if you thought Walkure was just an idol group that sings and dances in frilly and bright outfits, the door is open. We don't accept people that are not aware of what Walkure really does."

The girl was silent, but she made her way towards the exit, albeit with heavy footsteps. Soon enough, other girls exited the room, which shaved the umber to around half the original number.

As the last girl exited, a woman in uniform came in, looking back at the line of girls that left behind her. Her red hair was her defining feature, and her blue eyes were fairly visible from afar. Just from the looks, Marina could recognize her.

She was Kaname Buccaneer, one of Walkure's members; the one she attempted to murder with a glass shard.

Her body suddenly seemed heavy from the gravity she brought on herself. She felt like she could just drill through the floor and just fall into space right then. She bowed her head to not attract attention.

Kaname caught sight of Marina, and smiled pitifully. Marina could not see this. Kaname then turned towards the captain.

"What did you say towards the girls this time? You made so many drop out, and it's not even the start of the auditions yet!" she scolded, looking fairly annoyed at the green man in standing right beside her.

"What do you mean?! I merely said Walkure wasn't all fun and games!" Ernest defended himself.

"Weren't you just saying we were supposed to die right here and now a while ago?!" was what the other girls thought.

To this, Kaname sighed and apologetically looked at whoever remained in the room. "I commend your bravery, girls. The captain likes to make hyperboles considering his big personality."

 _And body_ , Marina added in her thoughts.

"But what the captain said is right," Kaname continued. "Walkure won't be so kind as to let you prancing around in uniform while the universe is in constant threat. Not only will you be a member of an idol group, but you will also coordinate with us in defending the universe, not only for ourselves, but also the people around us as well.

"Even now, some reports claim a new enemy has appeared and is a much greater threat than what happened with the Windermereans, and we don't want to experience the same thing again. To prevent that from happening, we have concluded that we need a stronger force, a voice that can help us reach out to galaxies further than what we can reach as of the moment.

"This will not be a threat, but more like a vision we must all have in this audition. The universe rests on how well you handle your own body. That would be all from me," Kaname finished her speech.

After that, several gulps were heard. This feeling of uneasiness was nothing new to someone like Marina, but not only was her redemption on the line, but the universe as well. The pressure grew on Marina even stronger than before.

 _I have been a victim of the Var. I did horrible things not only to Kaname-san, but to the others as well. If I give them a half-baked performance right after I decided I wanted to become an idol, I would fail even as dead weight. I_ need _to pass this audition. No matter what._ Marina thought to herself.

"Now that you all have a clear view of the situation at hand, I guess that signals the start of the auditions," Ernest cut the silence off. "This is merely one test for us to evaluate your singing, dancing, as well as your very person.

"The rules are simple. Whatever you do, don't ever stop singing and dancing. Also, don't die."

"What?"

As if on cue, the ground below them opened, revealing nothing but a vast ocean. The breeze blew up on them, but they did not fall.

In reaction to this, some girls panicked on their seats. Some stood up. But all of them screamed, save Kaname, Ernest, and Marina, who froze on her seat as she processed the last condition of the audition.

"Don't die."

Then they fell. All of the girls who were in that room, falling straight down towards terrifyingly deep waters.

"Well, that's the main objective, but I'll explain in full detail," Kaname shouted through their intercoms against the roar of the wind. She tried, but her voice would not reach the girls at all. They were all panicking. But that did not stop her. "You will use your song to call on a platform we'll be releasing once they hear your voices against this wind, even as you fall. After you prevent your fall, well… danger awaits, so you will use your dance and body control to evade them. As for how we evaluate your person, well… just do your best, yeah?" She then gave a sad smile and waved at them from the Elysion.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" the girls screamed as they reached out to thin air in hopes it would save them from their fall.

* * *

Marina definitely has went skydiving before. She was an adventurous girl who has always loved to try new things. Being an idol was no different. But this time, she was skydiving indeed. Except she didn't have any parachute to secure her fall.

The feeling of falling, unsure whether you come out alive or dead. Marina knew crashing to waters would be as painful as falling into concrete. From about 30 kilometers before sea level, falling would spell certain death. Anyone faced with this situation would be saying their final prayers as they were being pulled downwards.

Marina viewed it all in slow motion. It was as if time froze. The girl who talked smack about her were screaming for dear life. Kaname and the captain looking down upon them, examining their every move. The platforms were nowhere in sight.

 _That's right_ , Marina thought. _I have to sing to call on my platform. But to what extent does the voice quality have to be? In this wind, I don't think I can get a decent voice out. And the "dangers" Kaname-san talked about; considering my environment, I think they'll come from either the sea or the air. There's no doubting it. Do I have to dance? They only said I have to evade them to pass. And what's with the person they're talking about? I don't get it! I don't get anything they say at all! Is this really how they do it?!_

The back of her mind said this was all an elaborate plan to kill her and get rid of the girl who hurt an idol. Her heart was beating fast, not out of fear, but of anger and frustration. She couldn't care less about dying anymore. She has already had that thought ever since that night. Dying was the least of her worries. Leaving her parents and betraying the trust of people who believed her weren't.

This was merely an audition for a group that fights large battles like Walkure. She realized how dangerous everyday looks like for them. And they sang and danced like idols while walking side by side with death?

If she could not prove herself right then, she would just be a piece of trash about to get disposed.

With her back facing the waters, she twisted her body and resisted the winds to slap herself across the face.

 _I can do this! My parents, and that girl who cheered for me, I cannot betray their expectations! I have come this far, eaten by my own despair, so who am I to give up on the goal I promised myself I'd achieve?!_

She twisted her body once more, facing the ship that carried, then dropped her. She opened her lips and, with one deep breath, started singing.

 _Tatoeba togireta sora ga mieta nara  
Furueru boku no koe ga kikoeru no nara  
Barabara ni kudakeru hodo maiagare  
Hikisakareta kioku no hate naki tsubasa_

 _Ano hi katariatta koto  
Itsumo waraiaeta koto  
Yomigaeru hi made tachiagaru dake_

Marina knew nothing about love, and had no idea about how she even came up with singing a love song that Walkure themselves performed; however, she was so fixated on singing that she ceased to care about what song she chose to sing. As long as she was singing, it was fine. If she was singing, she would sing excellently.

 _Don't forget your vocal lessons now!_ She steeled herself before continuing.

 _Kowashite motto motto boku o kanjite  
Soko ni soko ni kimi wa imasu ka  
Senjou ni saku inochi yo moero moero_

 _Koroshite isso isso kuchihateru nara  
Tagire tagire hametsu no hate ni  
Kiseki o yobisamase tozasareta sora e_

As she finished the chorus, the platform everybody was waiting for appeared from the side of the ship and glided towards where Marina was.

She was a few more kilometres before reaching the waters, and that distance is closing. She wanted that platform to go faster.

"My voice, reach the stars!"

Marina shouted as she saw light gathering around her, as if to consume her.


End file.
